From the Wreckage
by Jinxy.Jinxy
Summary: This is a short story. Ronaldo and Lars find a mysterious object while fishing. What will this mean for the two friends when someone comes to reclaim it?
1. Out to sea

"Anyway. As I was saying there's definitely a few mysteries left down here. The Ocean is man's final frontier."  
"Alright." Lars agreed without enthusiasm.

The two men were spending the day on the docks. Lars was laying out in the sun working on a tan for his already tan skin. Ronaldo was hunched over a fishing rod staring patiently into the murky depths.

"You know, man knows more about the moon than about the ocean..." he pontificates while slowly reeling in his line. "It's true they...Ah!" he breaks off mid thought and begins to panic. He watches as his rod thrashes back and forth and bends down toward the water. He reels in and a silver fish breaches the water. He backs up holding the rod so that the fish lays on the dock still attached to the hook. It flaps wildly. He tries to grab it with one hand as the other still held the rod.  
"What do I do now?" he calls pensively.  
Lars sighs as he pushes himself up to standing and strides over. In one smooth motion he grabs the fish around the middle, unhooks it and holds it out to Ronaldo. "What do you want me to do with this?" he asks. The fish opens and closes its mouth and Ronaldo touches it gently from the safety of Lars' grasp.  
"Toss it back."  
"Alright." he releases the creature, it shimmers beautifully as it swims away into the deep.  
Ronaldo sighs with relief. "That was pretty scary." he states looking out to sea.  
"It was a Mackerel." Lars quips, laying back down. "Oh sorry. I mean a double-mermaid." he calls "Head of a fish, body of a fish." he wiggles his fingers mysteriously and flips his sunglasses back down.

Ronaldo laughs at that one. "Hey. Was your television messed up last night?" he asks casting out his line again, undeterred. It plops into the water as the bobber dips languidly.  
"Ya." he states "Was that some sort of viral marketing crap? They did a bad job, I don't even know what they're selling."  
"Lars. No." an exasperated Ronaldo began. "Obviously a satellite picked up a signal from outer space. I don't think we were supposed to see it."  
"I think it was an ad for Doritos."  
"Come on Lars. Be serious."  
"Oh so you were being serious?"  
"Pfft. Well I'm in the midst of decoding it. Don't worry. I'll still share my findings with you when I figure out about this Yellow Diamond."  
"Gee. Thanks." Lars says with sarcasm.  
"You're welcome." came Ronaldo's genuine reply.

They sat in silence after that. The tide gently started to rise with every lap upon the shore. Gulls called circling overhead and diving into the surf. Ronaldo and Lars were still except for the occasional recast and the bob of the line.

"Uhh." Ronaldo broke the silence.  
"Just reel it in." Lars called not looking over.  
"Uhh. Lars?" Ronaldo tried again.  
"What?" he turned his head. The rod was bent double with the point just about to touch the water.  
Lars sprung up fast to help him reel it in.  
"What is it?" Ronaldo asked.  
"I don't know." he answered truthfully. They both tugged on the line pulling back hard until the tension broke. Ronaldo fell, still holding the rod, which flapped in the breeze without the lure. Lars tumbled back too and ended up in his lap. He cursed and clambered over top of his friend.  
"You said you were going to be careful." he said peering off the dock.  
"I was."  
"You weren't. You lost my lure! How didn't you know you hooked the bottom?"  
"It's just a hook."  
"It was my favourite spoon."  
Ronaldo sat looking remorseful. Lars burned with his usual indignation.  
"Well fine. I guess I have to go in and get it."  
"Lars!"  
He was already half-way down the wharf ladder.  
"Don't." he snapped, diving below the surface.

He couldn't really see under the water, but he was a strong swimmer and it was pretty shallow. He wouldn't mention it was nice to be swimming in the cool water after being in the sun.  
He felt along the bottom until his hands reached something rather large. Probably what Ronaldo had hooked onto. He saw the glint of his lure, but had to resurface for air.

When his head came above water Ronaldo was right there with a pensive look.  
"Well did you find it?"  
"Ya. You caught a rock. Way to go." he chided. Ronaldo smiled. He was relieved Lars had found it, but more relieved he wouldn't have to hear about the lost hook forever.

Lars took a deep breath and dove back down. When he found the rock again he noticed it was made of metal. His lure was caught in between two pieces and he wasn't going to be able to get it out holding his breath. He took it in both hands and lifted it up with him.

When he breached again Ronaldo heard him shouting his name.  
"Help me get this over the dock." he called treading water holding the heavy object. Ronaldo dutifully obliged, with his pulling and Lars pushing they got the detritus on the dock.

The smaller man wasted no time untangling his lure from the object. Ronaldo ran his hand along it, looking at the metal piece with concentration.  
"It's just some junk." Lars said exasperated.  
"No. I think it's a piece from a hull."  
"You'd say it was anything but garbage." Lars said laughing. He was in a better mood since he had his lure back.  
"No see here. I think it's from that giant hand." he directed "It has to be rather recent. There aren't any barnacles and its barely rusted." he continued. Lars did have to admit it probably hadn't been sitting there long.  
"How do you know its that giant hand?" Lars asked.  
"Well. I mean look at it from this angle." Rondaldo took a step back. "It pretty much looks like a thumb-tip." He angled his fingers as if he was lining up a shot. Lars looked over skeptical, but didn't argue.  
Ronaldo went to pick up the thumb but could barely lift it. He heaved a few more times, before stopping to wipe his brow.  
"Alright. This is a break through. A real one. Lars can you help me carry this back to the Lighthouse?"  
The other man narrowed his eyes.  
"Fine."  
And together this trudged up the hill with a heavy hunk of metal that was somehow supposed to be representative of a thumb.


	2. The Wharf

The next day Ronaldo had Lars down at the wharf again. He was stood in the water up to his waist staring over at Ronaldo who tinkered on the dock.  
"What am I looking for again?" he called spitting out his snorkel and moving his goggles up to his forehead.  
"Anything mysterious!" Ronaldo called back. Lars sighed and prepared to dive down again. So far he'd dredged up a few more pieces of the 'hull' and few small circular things with little peg-legs. In Lars' opinion a bunch of junk. Ronaldo was over the moon excited though.

He surfaced again with a gasp. He swam another small piece of the hull over to Ronaldo. This piece looked a lot more like some kind of technology. It seemed to have chips and circuits.  
"I thought you'd like this one." he said holding it above the water and paddling with his free hand. Ronaldo did indeed he plucked it from his grasp as soon as he was close enough. "This stuff is all great. Thanks Lars!" he said arranging the pieces in the sun.  
"I don't get why you didn't just pick a bunch of this stuff up before Mayor Dewey had it cleaned. You kno when it was all over the beach." Lars said treading water.  
"I did." Ronaldo said scrubbing some algae off a piece. "But it was all inconclusive. You've found some really good clues." he picked up the circular object. "This has just got to be some kind of Robonoid." he said.  
"Well, I think it's dead." Lars said sarcastically, as the robonoid's little legs hung limp.  
"I'm going to put them in a bag of rice. It worked for my cellphone."  
"The one you dropped in the deep fryer?" Lars asked intrigued.  
"No. That one got fried." Ronaldo sighed. Lars rolled his eyes.  
"I don't even know why I bother to help you."  
"Because Sadie gives you the day off when it's to help me." Ronaldo stated matter of fact.  
Lars grumbled. Sadie totally did give him the day off to help Ronaldo. It was a lot more fun than working at the Big Donut, but he wasn't going to admit that. Instead he splashed Ronaldo.  
"Hey!" the larger man called, salt water matting down his bouncy curls.  
"I'm not going to stoop to your level." Ronaldo called trying to sound dignified.  
"Stoop to this." Lars splashed him again.  
"Lars my discoveries are getting wet." he warned him. The other man stuck out his tongue.  
"Splash me one more time and you're in for it." Lars did it again. "That's it!" called Ronaldo. He quickly unbuttoned his shirt and kicked off his sandals. "You're done!" he said jumping off the dock. Lars couldn't believe he actually went in. He barely had time to start swimming before Ronaldo was on him. He grabbed his fleeing foot. Lars spun around and tried to kick out of his grip, as Ronaldo started splashing him.  
"Gah! Quit it!" Lars yelled floundering. "I got some in my mouth. I hope you're happy...Ah. It's so salty." he spat. He dived down, not one to like the taste of his own medicine. Ronaldo was laughing in good humour. He let Lars go and treaded water serenely. It was a nice day for swimming. He saw Lars pass near him going deeper.

Suddenly he felt like he was in Jaws. He swam quickly towards the shallower water worried what Lars had planned. Ronaldo yelped when he felt something grab his ankle. Until he realized it was Lars. He tried to pull him under, but Ronaldo was much larger. He continued swimming for the shallow water careful not to kick the little man attached to his foot. Lars surfaced as the water got shallow.

"No fair!" he called to the smiling Ronaldo.  
"It was plenty fair."  
"No it wasn't. You're so much bigger." he tried to snark.  
"You're right I am." Ronaldo said lunging and grabbing Lars around the middle. He was all flailing limbs and as slick as an eel but he held tight. Eventually he was cradling him like a baby. He walked further out into the water.  
"Ronnie." Lars said pleadingly. There was no reply. Once they were out deep enough he tossed him into the sea.  
Lars came up sputtering and thrashing. But to Ronaldo's surprise he was also laughing.  
"You're stronger than you look." he said as he kicked out and floated on his back, Ronaldo followed suit. The both floated in the sun for a while, occasionally giving each other a light splash.

"Will you come up to the Lighthouse later? I need your help."  
"Hmm?" Lars said, his eyes closed and basking in the sun. "Oh ya...sure." he floated placidly.

Lars went out diving a few more times. Eschewing the metal pieces and dredging up the ones that seemed to look like some sort of technology. They had a good pile of circuit boards by the time it was late afternoon. The sun was sinking low and the tide was coming in. They finished up packing their pieces into the wagon Ronaldo had brought. The rest Lars shoved in a duffel bag and hefted it onto his shoulder.

When they had everything out at the Lighthouse the place looked just like the ship had exploded there. Ronaldo had his robonoids in a big bag of rice, and the circuits spread out on the desk and floor. The hull pieces were cobbled together in the corner. Lars' task was to spread these things out while Ronaldo took his soldering gun to the circuits.

Once Lars was finished he didn't go seek any extra duties. Instead he turned on the television and flopped down on the couch. He was still shirtless and in his damp swim trunks. Ronaldo was busy working but felt his attention shifting with the television on. He turned his head to see what Lars was watching.

"Oh, man. Is that Soul Blaster?"  
"Yep."  
"Oh man. Kyosuke is so cool."  
"Ya. He's badass."  
"Lars! You like Soul Blaster?" Ronaldo gushed, leaving his circuit to sit beside his friend.  
"I watch it sometimes." Lars said indifferently.  
"Oh this is a good episode too."  
"Shh. Don't ruin it."

The circuit buzzed lightly behind the two boys. A red light blinked in the top corner and a few of the robonoids began to shift about in their rice bag. Of course, Kyosuke was soul blasting and the events going on behind them were ultimately ignored.


	3. Close Encounters of the Gem Kind

"Ah. Yes!" Ronaldo said surfing through the channels. "It's The Freaky Friday Horror Movie Marathon." They tuned in to a scary move already underway. "I wonder which one it is."  
Las looked at the screen for a few beats. "I'd say it's Creature from the Blue Lagoon. The original."  
"Lars!" Ronaldo said with excitement. "Man. I always forget you're a huge horror movie buff."  
"Well, we haven't watched any together in a while."  
"Ya..." Ronaldo said a little sadly. "I guess you're right...well we can at least watch the marathon right now."

And they did. Ronaldo tried in vain to keep Lars from giving his snarky commentary at every cliche. Though he did have to laugh at a few of his remarks. Soon Ronaldo was in on it too as they both heckled there way through the film.  
"I guess you're right. Some of these old movies can seem a little hokey" Ronaldo conceded as the obviously costumed Lagoon Monster lurched along.  
"Well. The new stuff's just as bad. It'd just be an hour of the cgi monster jumping out and they'd call that scary."  
"We're probably just too old to be as scared."  
"Probably." Lars confirmed.

A thump seemed to echo through the old stone lighthouse. Lars stiffened his shoulders. Ronaldo looked around.  
"Did you hear something?" the larger man asked.  
"It's just the wind." Lars assured him, but he didn't relax.  
They tried to enjoy the movie, but they both kept turning their heads at any small noise. It seemed they could still hear the thumping.  
"Maybe it's a shutter banging." Ronaldo offered. "This place is pretty old."  
"Maybe." said Lars his eyes staring at the door.  
 _Thump,thump,thump_

The noise seemed to grew louder and more insistent. Ronaldo was trying to save face. Lars was bouncing uncomfortably as if he wasn't sure whether to run or stay put. He took hold of Ronaldo's wrist.  
"It's just the wind, right Ronnie?" he asked, panic creeping into the edge of his voice.  
"Y-Ya." Ronaldo tried to reassure him.  
 _Thump,thump,thump_

The noise was nearer now. Almost right outside the door. The door handle began to shake violently. Ronaldo jumped up and Lars ducked behind him. The door flew open. The two boys stood frozen in fear, neither gasping out at what they saw. They heard a few grumbled complaints as the Television Highjacker stood in the door way.

She didn't notice them immediately and briefly glanced at the television screen. Instead she was focused upon a light panel which seemed to extend from her arm. She punched in a few commands, muttering to herself. She moved forward into the room, hopping on one foot as the other one seemed to be missing. Her pale green skin was illuminated by the screen. She moved toward the circuits Ronaldo had on he desk. She held onto the corner of it to stabilize herself. Her other set of fingers set to work on the circuit board.

Ronaldo couldn't hold back his indignation.  
"Hey! Stop touching my stuff!" he called.  
"Ronnie" Lars yelped pulling on his wrist as the other walked forward.  
The green woman stopped to look at him.  
"Your stuff? This is MY stuff." she retorted, then turned back.  
"Is not."  
"Listen you two Stevens I'm not interested in debating with you. I'm busy."  
"I'm not a Steven" Lars quipped with annoyance.  
"Well, whatever species of human you are it doesn't matter." she turned away again.  
A few of the robonoids had climbed out of the rice bag and were scrounging about the discarded hull pieces. They were tinkering and fitting pieces together. It seemed they were rebuilding a foot.

Ronaldo rushed over and grabbed the circuit board she was working on. He held it to his chest.  
"Give that back." she threatened.  
"No. I'm working on a real discovery here."  
"No you weren't. All you were doing was interfering with my frequency. I had to come over here to get you two clods to stop. So hand it over nicely."  
Ronaldo glared at her. Lars was slinking away nearer to the door.  
"No. It's mine." Ronaldo said.  
"Fine. I'll just take it then." she opened her hand as if to prepare to fire on Ronaldo. A Robonoid came sailing through the air hitting her in the back of the head.

"Ouch." she said annoyed. The knock had caused her to lose balance, and she had to stop her attack to grip the desk again.  
"You." she glowered at Lars who stood poised with another piece to throw. She shot out a finger which hooked through his stretched lobes. Lars was being reeled in like a fish as he thrashed and struggled. She held him up in the air.  
"Ouch. Let me go." he complained, his feet kicking out just short of reaching the ground.  
"I don't have time for you two." she said with annoyance. Ronaldo gaped with shock. He ran over and held Lars around the middle, reaching up he unhooked his ear. Ronaldo held the finger in his closed hand as it wiggled. Lars picked up the circuit board the other man had been protecting  
"Now give that back."  
"No."  
She made an annoyed sound, still trying to ignore them. The remaining Robonoids were still working on the foot. She moved onto to another piece. Surveying their collection she looked both confused and intrigued.  
"Where did you too find this stuff?" she asked, moving it about with a small beam of light.  
"Why were you on the television?" Ronaldo countered. He'd moved over and sealed the errant finger inside an empty jar. It tapped on the glass.  
For a second she looked almost worried. "What are you talking about?"  
"We saw you." Lars challenged.  
Her face dropped and she seemed to be considering that her private message had been seen by thousands.  
"It was nothing." she said trying to play it off.  
"No way. It was totally something." Lars countered, lapsing into his usual snarky self. "And at the end you were freaking out." he recalled. "Please send help!" he mimicked her distress signal, putting his hands on either side of his face is mock panic. Then he snorted derisively.

"Stop it!" she snapped.  
"Ronaldo. Keep your junk. We don't have to listen to this Dorito."  
"You do too!" she said flustered.  
Ronaldo went to gather up the pieces in his vicinity.  
"Stop it!" she complained. "Why is everyone on this planet always touching my stuff." she fumed gathering up the boards near her.

The foot was finished and two Robonoids began to carry it over.  
She turned and smiled mischievously.  
"Fine. Keep it. I have what I need anyway." she picked up the foot. She tried to attach it few times, jiggling it into place.  
Lars dived down and held onto it. She shook her foot with annoyance.  
"Ugh. I hate humans." she complained as Ronaldo tried to wrestle her arm. Her finger shot out and began to flicking Ronaldo in the head. He held fast. Her other arm became a propeller as she lifted the two boys up into the air. She was going to escape through the open lighthouse window.

Lars held tight but called out to Ronaldo. "Let go."  
"No." Ronaldo said as the fingers pulled his hair. "I have to know about Yellow Diamond."  
"How do you know about Yellow Diamond?" she questioned uneasily. Her focus diverted.  
"Tell me about the Diamond Authority!" he said bracing himself.  
"You two aren't supposed to know anything about that." she panicked, shaking her hand and leg causing her flight to swerve erratically.  
"Are you working for the Crystal Gems? Are they coming here now?" she scanned the room.  
"Forget this. I'm getting out of here." Her Fingers attacked Ronaldo' grasp until her fell. Lars gripped tighter wrapping his arms and legs around the newly assembled foot.  
"Let me go!" she snapped at him, reaching down her now free hand. She was panicking as if at any moment the Crystal Gems would be coming through the door. She pushed a button the base of her calf and the foot detached.  
"That's it. I'm out of here." she escaped through the open window.  
"Better luck next time clods." she called sticking out her tongue.

Lars and Ronaldo looked up dazed and confused as she disappeared into the night.  
"Ronnie what the heck was that?" Lars snapped getting up into a seated position. "I thought this was all just junk."  
Ronaldo was rubbing his shin but grinning like a mad man.  
"We're on the right path now." he called getting up and admiring this collection.  
"We?" Lars snapped, pushing the discarded foot into Ronaldo's hands. "There is no we."  
Ronaldo frowned looking at the foot.  
"Come on Lars."  
"Nope."  
"Come on. You were just like Kyosuke." he tried. "Fearless. Like when you threw that robot. Lars you saved my life." Ronaldo gushed. Lars smirked.  
"Ya. Well it wasn't that big a deal." he said rubbing his neck.  
"And you did it all in your swim trunks!" Ronaldo stated.  
"Oh jeez." Lars said remembering he hadn't changed from the beach. He covered his face with his hands.  
"Our first battle with the Diamond Authority. I say it went pretty good." Ronaldo said with pride.  
"Hey do you still have that finger?" Lars questioned.  
"Yep." said Ronaldo "Why?"  
"Well keep it. We're going to use it as bait."


End file.
